Mehr Kunst

It's Friday evening again and that means I have returned from creating works of art with my Photoshop Gang. The one showing the Zwinger Palace Complex I did on Friday last week.

The complex of palaces, museums and art galleries is in the centre of Dresden. It has never looked like this before. I decided water in the moat was too traditional so I changed it to blood! What else did I change?  Go on, look again.

Stefan had taken a number of photos of the garden at the Oldie Centre where we meet and we had to work on these today. I selected a photo of flowers still in bloom in the garden. I changed it to black and white then changed the colour of three flowers. The task was simple to play around with different tools and see what the result was. Here it is.

I decided to play further so I selected a photo of a box of plants in the garden. I applied my creative talents and this is the abstract result. Look at it closely and see if you can see what the original could have looked like. Rather like staring at a late Picasso!

I've had a good week. It started with Marcel and a meal, a meeting/meal with Johanna, Gerald and Jutta and ended with my creative session this afternoon. Hope you had a good week. I also hope to go to the Polish border on Sunday. The weather is warm for the time of year so it is time to take advantage and get away for a day!

der Fußball

I got this photo yesterday from Jan while I was watching FC Bayern play Hamburg on TV. Bayern won, but then most of their players are in the German National Team. It was nice to see Philip Lahm playing again after he captained them to victory in the World Championship this summer.

It was the first photo of Jan in a football team for more years than I like to remember! Jan has always played football and I remember seeing him play when he was 10 and I supported his MSV team as he got older.

I remember taking him to the Bateson family where he immediately felt at home partly because the 'lads' quickly recognised his football skills. So you Batesons, what do you think about this photo and can you see where he is?

I remember later when he stayed with Shirley in Florida that he played in a school team. Do you remember this Shirley?  A few years later he went to The University of Rhode Island to study for his MSc. I flew over and remember watching him play football in his local team. I think they won when I was there!

On his return he played in different teams and is still playing in Den Haag --- but then Arancha also plays in a women's football team. Keep playing both of you! How about a photo of you, Jan, with your team after the match sinking a few beers. Don't tell me you don't do this :-))

Ouch!

I had almost forgotten what is was like to have a tooth taken out. Ouch!! It hurts! At 10:30 this morning I went to my new dentist for a check. After introducing ourselves, I climbed into the chair and opened my mouth....wide please!  She peered in and announced my pain came from a tooth which had split and was becoming infected.

Oh no! After some discussion she said it had to come out for the infection had reached the root. Lots of injections before she attacked. I could feel the tooth fighting back. It lost the battle. Lots of sucking blood away before big smiles as the dentist announced a successful extraction.

Thank goodness this didn't happen at the end of last week. Why? Because I would have missed Marcel's 'Welcome to my new flat meal'. You know that I helped him to move about a month ago. I reported this on my blog.

I set off on a one hour journey to reach his new(ish) flat yesterday and arrived just after 4.00pm. Nice smells coming from the kitchen as I entered. He settled me into the dining room/kitchen and poured some red wine as a 'pre-taster'. Lots of chatting covering many topics as he served a tasty salad and then 'The Meal'.

Yes, he had picked up a recipe from a Hungarian webpage and even used some Hungarian red peppers and spices. The meal was delicious as usual. He really has discovered a talent for cooking since he arrived in Berlin. Perhaps he should become a cook rather than a physicist! Thanks Marcel for a memorable evening.

Torgau - 2

Torgau had many fine old buildings as well as a brewery. It had a reputation for brewing tasty beer and Luther also admitted to enjoying a few glasses! I wonder if they got the water from the Elbe. This enters Germany from the Czech Republic and runs through Magdeburg to Hamburg and then into the North Sea. I think the water must have cleaner when Luther was sipping his beer!

In 1760, there was a battle west of Torgau which led to the end of the Seven Years War. This was between the soldiers of Frederick the Great and The Hapsburg Monarchy for control of Silesia. This has now resorted back to Poland. Frederick's men won but paid a high price in dead and wounded.

Napolean was in the area in 1811 and in 1815 the town moved into the territory of Prussia under the terms of the Vienna Congress after the end of Mr Nap. In 1872, the town was connected to the new railway system and in 1894 the harbour was built. Nothing of major importance happened until the end of WW II.

On the morning of 25 April 1945, German soldiers blew up the bridge across the Elbe behind the Schloss. It left steel girders and other sections of the bridge sticking out of the water. It was done to slow down the advance of Soviet troops advancing on Torgau. It didn't slow them down for they clambered  over the remains and met American soldiers who had arrived on the other bank at about 4.00pm.

It was the first time that soldiers of these armies had ever met. There are photographs and newsreel shots of the event as you may have seen. There is now a large monument on the town side of the river where the bridge used to be. In my photograph you can see the new bridge opened in 1993 behind the monument. It is also slightly south of where the old bridge was.

There are also photos of the Schloss including the Rose Garden. Stadtkirche St. Marien. I went in for I could hear an organ playing. The organist was just enjoying himself and checking the organ could work at full volume. It did and many people came in to enjoy the music. If you get the chance, go to Torgau - it is worth the trip!

Torgau - 1

Yesterday I went to Torgau for the first time. The Silsdeners are surely asking where it is. Finger on a map of Berlin. Move it south through the state of Brandenburg and slightly to the left. You will come to a 'corner' where Brandenburg meets the state of Sachsen-Anhalt and the state of Saxony. It's there in the north of Saxony.

Torgau is first recorded in AD973 as 'Torgove' meaning Market Place in the local slavic language. All of that area was then settled by slavic speakers including areas to the north aound Berlin. The Germanic tribes arrived later. In 1267 it was recorded as a town. It lies on the west bank of the river Elbe where there is a ford.

By the 1500s, it had a population of 6,000 and was part of the Kingdom of Saxony. The kings had a large castle built there overlooking the ford in the river. It is called Schloss Hartenfals. It was later renovated and extended to take on the appearance it has today.

Torgau played an important part in the Protestant Reformation and the Thirty Years War as a consequence.  The Battle of Mühlenberg tool place there in 1547. The protestant army was defeated by a catholic one. Isn't it strange to describe armies and killing by religions! But so it was and unfortunately still is today!!

Martin Luther was often in Torgau where he preached and gave the opening service of the Schlosskirche on 5 October 1544. His wife Katharina von Bora died there in December 1552. She escaped from Wittenberg where the Black Death had broken out, but her horse and carriage had an accident enroute.

Here are photos of the town centre, the market square and town hall plus an unusual pig!

Another machine

I've had a normal week of meetings, teaching and events except on Thursday. Another machine arrived to make number five on the building site opposite my flat. I heard the sound of engines revving and voices so, being a normal 'nosey' person, I went to the window to see what what was happening.

I saw a large lorry/truck delivering a strange machine. It was unloaded quickly and efficiently and chugged slowly onto the building site. I then realised it was a machine to sink the metal girders into the ground. I was right.

Today I watched it in action. Two men sank the girders. One was the driver and the other brought the girders to the machine and made sure they were sunk into the exact spot marked out by other workers.

It was interesting to see them play around with the machine and metal girders as if they were large toys. But then if you do this every day it becomes easy - or appears to be so!

A&T

Yes, you read A&T and not G&T, but then A&T do like to sip a G&T on a hot summer day, just as I do! Adrian and Tanja jetted into Berlin last weekend.  Tanja had a holiday from teaching in London so joined Adrian on a business trip. He now works for the Sunday Telegraph in the travel/holiday section. In the photo he is on the right - wearing glasses.

I know him from my University of Sussex days. We met in September 1979, when we arrived in Brighton to start the interesting experience of becoming a student. After leaving uni he worked as a journalist for local papers and worked his way up to become the Berlin correspondent of The Independent. 

He met Tanja, married and reported from Berlin before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. They later moved to Budapest when he became the east European reporter for The Independent. I have happy memories of visiting them in their home overlooking Margaret Island. Later came the move to London and change of paper.

Through them I got to know Stephan. He is also in the photo taken last Tuesday. He is from Bayern/Bavaria and studied at Oxford University. When he speaks English everyone thinks he is English and not German. He lives in Berlin and it was nice to see him again as we caught up on news over a nice meal and glass of red wine. A memorable evening. 

Daniel

Hi,my name is Daniel.I will be 18 in two weeks. I was born  on a cold  wet day in Chisinau, which is  the capital of Moldova. At school I learnt Russian, Romanian and English. Now I  have been speaking German for one year.I am a pupil at a secondary school in Marzahn.This is a district north-east of where John lives.

My hobbies are collecting coins from all over the world.  My favourite novel is Sherlock Holmes. Sometimes I like cycling in the park which is near to  my home. In summer 2009, my family went to Antalya, Turkey which  was nice . Now I want to go to Cuba because l want to visit  the places where Che Guevara fought against a dictator.  Cuba is also a good place to practice many waterspots.I like swimming very much. In Havana there are many old cars.


I met Frau Fox after I  came to Berlin one year ago. Through Fau Fox I met John. Frau Fox asked him to help me with English. I  practice English  each week and he always gives me homework :-(( Now l am learning more verbs and tenses.English tenses are very difficult and I wonder why do the English need to use 'do' and 'did' to make questions and negatives?  I think Russian and German are easier to learn :-))

More banging

I slept late this morning. Well, 10:00am is late for me. It is the only morning in the week when I am not woken between 6:30 and 7:00am when the machines start on the building site opposite my bedroom.Here you can see for yourself and I am sure you can image the noise.

Today, I should have been on my way to Torgau but it was cancelled. I heard the news on my return from visiting Sven and family yesterday. The reason is a national strike by train drivers over the weekend. Many families are not too happy for it is the start of the autumn school holidays.

Last Tuesday I met my SPD Oldies and we went to Haus des Rundfunks. It is the home of 'rbb' = rundfunk berlin-brandenburg. It is home to the local radio/TV station. A very interesting time and we could go into the studio where the news programmes are broadcast. It all looked different in the studio compared to looking at it on your TV screen.

The rest of the week was as per standard including some teaching, visiting Oldies, training with Kerstin, and another tasty Oldie breakfast on Thursday morning. Next week looks much the same except I have a new student and my Photoshop Gang starts next Friday morning. Endlich!

Here you can see a photo of part of my back garden this morning. You can see the sunny weather and leaves falling to the ground as autumn advances further. Ian called me from Australia this morning and told me about the onward march of Spring. Nice to hear his news.

Thinkers and Mozart

Hello Silsdeners! You might have noticed that I didn't update my blog last week. No particular reason. I just got on with doing things and put it off until the weekend. Last Sunday I went to the local Protestant church. I met Johanna inside and at 5.00pm.

Those of you who know me also know I only enter such a building for a concert, wedding or funeral. This time it was for a performance of Mozart's Requiem. The place was packed and I notice most had grey hair and had already passed fifty!

It's a great piece to 'singalong' and we each got a programme with the words. I noticed a women in the gallery singing along as if she were at home and oblivious to/of others around her. I noticed that at times I was humming and nodding my head to the music.

I also had time last weekend, and during the week, to read a few more chapters of this book.  Marcel bought it sometime ago for he was/is interested in the 'interface' between science and philosophy. He said he didn't have time to read it in depth so could I do that and write a short note about each 'Thinker' for him to learn. Na, ja!

Actually I find it very interesting and have read twelve so far. Details about Henry David Thoreau were new to/for me, but the one who really surprised me was Charles Sanders Peirce 1839 - 1914. The chapter says "American logician and scientist who established the principles of pragmatism". "There is no American philosopher more diversely talented than C.S. Peirce". I decided to learn more about him.

Have you heard of William James, F.H. Bradley, Henri Bergson, Martin Buber, Gabriel Marcel, Gilbert Ryle, Willard Van Orman Quine, Richard Rorty or Julia Kristeva? No, me neither! That is my reading 'homework' for the next few weeks. At the end I  think I shall enroll on/for one of those TV shows offering a million pounds/euros/dollars if you can answer a series of questions correctly.

BIG news

Yes, very BIG news! Have a look at this nice hand. Notice the ring. What is it? Answer: An engagement ring! Whose hand is it?

A few weeks ago I met Arancha and Jan when they arrived in Berlin to attend the wedding of a friend. I posted a report on my blog. When we sat down in the hotel bar to catch up on news, Arancha began to wave her hand gently. I finally noticed the ring then the 'penny dropped'.

Big warm embraces followed and I was delighted at their news. Jan proposed to her on her recent birthday and she accepted. At last Jan! The best decision you have ever made :-) They invited me to their wedding.

It will be next summer, probably in July, in the north of Spain where Arancha's family live. Now all I need to do is learn some basic Spanish so I can communicate with her parents. Hola, como estas and Bien gracias. Y. como estas? is a start but not enough!

Congratulations to both from me and those of you who know them. PS: Sister Andrea is getting married in Berlin next September. Next year is looking very nice so far!

Images

How many interesting sights, scenes, images do we see each day and not notice? I think I am as guilty as anyone but this week I noted two. Today I got a postcard from Alan and Lynne. They are visiting family in New Zealand - Australia.

This is the view on the card.  It's amazing and I can only wonder what it would be like to see it 'live'. It is of Milford Sound on the north coast of the south island looking out to sea. On the left is Mitre Peak and on the right is The Lion. The water appears dark because it is very deep.

Just look at the valley on the right with a river running through. You can see where it starts in the mountains from melting snow. I would love to go skiing there :-)

The second image is of a 'high-rise' block of flats at Landsberger Allee 228, in the district called Lichtenberg where I live. The photo was taken by Holger Harschal, and the images were created/painted by James Bullough and Addison Karl. Well done, gentlemen!

At the moment I am helping a young man with his English.  Last week I helped him with his homework. It was to comment on a song. He wrote an interesting critical comment. Part of the text was about 'standing on your shoulders'.

This image is on the front of a card listing all the cultural events in my district from October to December. I showed it to my student who laughed long and loud. Yes, he liked it and I am sure he will always remember those words.

What I like is that there are three young men, two of whom are standing on shoulders = being supported. If you look closely you can see that the figures could represent German, Vietnamese and Turkish young men. That is the main mix in Lichtenberg! Very nice. 

Singalong

In a recent post I told you I met my 'Mug Gang' at Larissa and H-D's nice house in the country north of Berlin. After eating, drinking and being merry, we ended the evening sitting around a campfire. Larissa and H-D led the singing.

I really like this for they mostly sing old German folks songs. The one I always want repeated is, '(Dr)unten in der grünen Au. You have to sing it with great gusto and it always makes me smile.

This time our guests said I had to learn it so at the next campfire session I will have to sing it out nice and loud! I found a version on the internet so my homework is to learn all nine verses!  I also read a history of the song.

I read that it is first recorded in 1580 in an area called Bavaria in the south of Germany. There were many changes over the years and I even saw a version in a southern dialect with 15 verses. The one I printed was from a collection called 'Popular Folk Songs in the DDR'.

Here is the final verse so you can learn it and the next time we meet around a campfire you can also singalong! I'll learn them all and you just learn this. If you do then you can have a beer! It's all part of the fun.

9. Strophe:
Was liegt in dem Bett? Ein wunderschönes Kind!   Kind im Bett, Bett aus den Federn, Federn am Vogel, Vogel im Ei, Ei im Nest, Nest auf'm Zweig, Zweig am Ast, Ast am Baum, Baum in der Au. Drunten in der grünen Au, steht ein Birnbaum, schau, schau, juche! Drunten in der grünen Au, steht ein Birnbaum, schau, shau.

More ride pics

Yesterday Falk gave me the photos he had taken of the bicycle tour last Friday = 3 October. I wrote a story about it a few posts ago. Falk had not only taken some good shots of the scenery but of us pedaling along. Here are a few to complement the first report.

The first pic is of us cycling near a very old Straßenbahn (Tram) which runs from Friedrichshagen to Woltersdorf. It must have been built sometime in the 1920s by the look of it and it is still running. 

The next shot is of me just after escaping from the barriers that lock off an area when the road/bridge opens. The big metal 'thing' is a counter weight and drops down as the bridge opens. It nearly got me! Actually the alarm bells set off and the barriers opened to allow me out. Falk was there to take a shot!

Another photo is of us enjoying a picnic next to the Flakensee. We are in the middle of the photo and you can see the trees and colours of early autumn.

The last one was taken at the small lake where some went swimming. It was taken by the Portuguese lady I mentioned earlier so we were all in the shot. Usually there is always one missing = the person behind the camera!

I hope you enjoy seeing a bit more of a very pleasant day. 

Frankfurt

On Sunday I went to Frankfurt - Oder. It is on the River Oder, a large stretch of which forms the border between Germany and Poland. It has a long and interesting history connected to Germanic tribe settlements and expansion in the east.

The river flows north into the Baltic Sea so its history is also linked to ships, fishing and trade with the Baltic States. Some of its old buildings survived bombing and shelling in early 1945, when part of the Red Army crossed the river heading towards Berlin.

Today you can wander around the town and see old and new buildings and try to imagine what it was like many years ago. It is also a major rail and road crossing point between the countries. Now you can walk/drive over the large modern metal bridge into the smaller Polish town and meet nice, friendly people there.

A trip was quickly planned last week but some Oldies had to cancel at the last minute leaving Oldie H and myself to make the journey. No problem and we had warm sunshine to help us. We took the SB to Erkner and then a regional train for the last 34 minutes into the centre of Frankfurt. There we jumped onto a tram and looked out of the window until we landed in a tiny village to the west.

We took a tram to a long island south of the centre. A short walk until you reach a bridge to take you onto the island. I liked the design and took a photo. After that exercise we walked down one of the old streets and found a number of old houses that had survived. One was even a pub. I had to take a shot!

At the end of the street we found a hotel/restaurant with tables in the garden. Very tasty traditional food with a local beer to help digestion! Slowly back to the rail station and eventually to Berlin. A pleasant, relaxing day in which I discovered a small corner of another town in Germany.

Einheit - 2

After a tasty picnic lunch we headed south along the Flakensee until we reached the town of Erkner. This is the last stop on my SB line. I have always liked going there although I hardly know the town for I mostly travel through it.

At Erkner we took a sharp left turn back in the direction of Berlin. Finger on map, centre of Erkner and find the railway station to the north of the town. Just south of the station is a track taking you along a water system starting with the Dämeritzsee. Cycle on the northern side and you will soon pick up a bicycle track.

In the afternoon the sun will be in your eyes so take dark glasses with you. We did because you are cycling into the sun in the west and at this time of year it is dropping towards the equator.  You will cycle along tracks, past lots of weekend garden houses full of people grilling and having a beer or three with their grilled 'Wurst'.

Just keep pedaling and heading west in the direction of Berlin's biggest lake called 'Großer Müggelsee'. There is a very interesting network of canals and smaller lakes to the south of the big one and lots of tracks for you to follow. We ended at a lake south of Müggelsee. My gang knew it well as we got off the bikes at an area of sand on the lakeside. There were a few other people there enjoying the late afternoon sun and picnics.

 Some of my gang stripped off and jumped into the lake to enjoy a late summer swim. Swimming in the nude is quite normal here. It is considered part of a healthy culture going back many years and called FKK. You may see these words at some beaches. In England I think it is called the Naturist Culture. Here are some photos of the small lake where they swam.

We got to know some other visitors there, particularly a man with a small paddle boat and a lady who said she was from Portugal. We sipped some of my 'Scottish Medicine' with them which they liked! A nice interlude before we got back onto the bikes for the last part of our journey.

This took us along tracks to the south of Lake Müggelsee until we hit a track that took us into the centre of Köpenick. There we found 'Schloss Müller' where two of the gang live. We relaxed over tea and cakes. A perfect way to relax after hours on a bicycle.

As it got dark I cycled to the S-Bahn with Uli. He wanted to make sure I found my way there. Thanks for your concern Uli. There we said our goodbyes and I took the SB back to Karlshorst and home.

Our next meeting will be in the first week of January in a restaurant. My job is to organise the event. Looking forward to seeing my 'Mug Gang' then and catching up on news.

Einheit - 1

I told you earlier that I was going on a bicycle ride on Friday 3 October. This is a public holiday to mark German Reunification. Now 25 years ago. The weather was perfect and I am sure that at least half the population of Berlin was somewhere outside the city, in parks or other green areas.

I met half of my Mug Gang at 10.00am at SB Köpenick. They live there and it is only two stops from my local S-Bahn. Uli was 'The Boss' this time and had worked out the route. I cycled behind him. To follow our route get out your map. 

Finger in the middle of Berlin then slowly move it to your right = east. Find Lichtenberg and keep going. Move your finger slightly down and you will find Karlshorst where I live. Keep going until you get to Köpenick. Well done! Now keep moving your finger to the right = east and off we go.

We cycled along a track that followed the SB line further east. We passed through a colony of houses built in the 1920s, then on into the woods along a cycle track. Move your finger until you come to a village called Schöneiche. It is perfect and if I won a fortune I would buy a villa there! There are no houses, only villas !!

Keep moving to the right = east until you come to a village called Woltersdorf. It sits between three lakes and has a sluice/die Schleuse which allows boats to move between all three. Here I took some photographs after being nearly caught as the gates closed and the bridge was about to rise!

We then cycled south along the side of the Flakensee until we found 'our' picnic place. The Mug Gang always has a stop here. There is a small flat area behind a tree which has roots growing out of the earth. Here is a photo. Very interesting! The late lunch was delicious and much better than the couple of sandwiches I had prepared for myself.

We sipped some 'Scottish Medicine' I had brought along as a kind of Magenbitter = Digestion Helper after we had eaten and suddenly the world looked 'rosier' :-)) Lots of interesting discussions and topics as we sipped another one then back onto the bikes. See the next blog story for the rest of the adventure.

October 2014 Things

In Berlin we entered a new month with hazy sun and patches of blue sky. Hope it stays so for the weekend. I heard that England had the driest September since records began. I wonder if G&T and beer consumption rose as a result?

There is a public holiday on Friday 3 October. It is called 'Tag der Deutschen Einheit'. It celebrates unification of the two German states. Many people enjoy the long weekend by going to the coast, visiting family/friends, going on bicycle rides, picnics, grilling. Much the same as you would do.

I shall be on a bicycle ride with some of my 'Mug Gang'. Next Monday there will be a new experience for me as a delegate at the Berlin SPD state level conference on migration and integration. I have to make notes and report back to my local committee.

On Wednesday evening I shall be in a special meeting of the SPD. I have already reserved a seat to listen to the three candidates seeking election to be the next Mayor of Berlin. This is an executive position for he/she heads Berlin's government. I received my voting papers last week, but want to listen to each before I make a X on the voting slip.

Other events are an 'Oldie' walk, a teachers' workshop, a visit to a Mosque/Moschee/Musjid with the SPD Oldies, and going to a new group about editing photographs, plus all the usual things.

Who has a birthday in October? Andrew will be 37 on the 4th and no doubt celebrate with his family in Ilkley. Warren will be 38 on the 12th and do the same thing in Silsden. My darling little sister Frances will be 68 on the 14th and also celebrate in Sildsden - or at Betty's on The Grove :-) On the 21st I shall be sipping a glass or three of sekt to celebrate Marita's birthday. Dianne B. has her 68th on the 27th in Keighley. Tanya ends the month with her 50th on the 31st and will celebrate with Adrian in London. Here is to all of you - Happy Birthday!